


Poison Heart

by red_starshine



Category: Constantine (TV), Hellblazer & Related Fandoms
Genre: Demonic Possession, Demons, Exorcisms, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22981888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_starshine/pseuds/red_starshine
Summary: Chas buys Sister Anne-Marie some time to finish her exorcism of the demon Pazuzu from John Constantine's body with a bottle of holy water and a bad idea.
Relationships: Chas Chandler/John Constantine
Comments: 5
Kudos: 67





	Poison Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during episode 9 of the Constantine TV series, 'The Saint of Last Resorts: Part 2'. The title is from Depeche Mode's album, 'Spirit'.

There’s a demon inside John Constantine.

Granted, he put it inside himself, but considering his options at the time were either demonic healing followed by possession or rolling over and dying in a sewer, Chas can’t find it too hard to blame John for choosing to live.

But it doesn’t make getting the demon out of John now that it’s healed his wounds any easier.

They have John tied down to a bed at the mill house, Annie trying to muster up enough confidence to get the demon out, Zed trying to convince her that she can do it, she has to forgive herself, and Chas is just trying to keep Pazuzu from gnawing at the restraints and hurling verbal abuse at them.

John’s eyes are burning red, and spittle comes flying out of his mouth as he gives a hoarse roar. The infernal clock ticking down to when John’s soul gets forcibly ejected from his body and sent straight to Hell is running out of time.

Annie’s hands are still covering her face, Zed by her side.

Chas spies a glass bottle of holy water sitting on the table and grabs it with one hand, the other holding down John’s chest as he squirms and writhes on the bed. A tiny germ of an idea grows in his head. It’s not great by any stretch, but considering Anne-Marie’s exorcism seems to be going off the rails, it might be the only way to buy John enough time for Anne-Marie to finish the ritual.

He removes the stopper from the bottle with his thumb. Letting out a loud breath, he removes his hand from John’s chest and then straddles the bed well out of biting range, pinning John’s body down to the thin mattress with his weight. One of his hands goes right back onto John's chest.

John (or Pazuzu) on the bed lets out a surprised wheeze, the air knocked out of him.

“John,” says Chas slowly, calmly. From what he’d seen in Mexico, yelling and aggression only seem to make the demon worse. “I need you to stay as still as you can for me, okay?”

John, and he can tell it's definitely John despite the faint glow of red in his eyes, looks at him in confusion.

Chas knocks back the vial of holy water like it’s a shot of whiskey and tosses it away. He doesn’t swallow, instead clamping his hands on either side of John’s face so that he can’t move his head. John's skin is flushed and slick with sweat, an inferno building inside of him.

Both John and the demon inside him seem to realize what Chas is going to do at the exact same moment, and Pazuzu bucks John’s body wildly in a futile attempt to dislodge him until John wrestles back control.

“Do it,” John breathes, and it's all the permission Chas needs.

Chas crushes his lips against John’s, and when John’s lips part, he lets the holy water trickle down into John’s mouth. John’s body trashes and flails beneath him, and the water sizzles as it flows past his lips and into John's mouth. The demon briefly resurfaces and tries to bite down on Chas’s lip, but Chas continues to let the holy water flow from him until there’s nothing left. He draws back, fully expecting Pazuzu to spit the holy water back into his face.

But John’s adam’s apple bobs slightly as he struggles to swallow the holy water, even though it must burn the entire way down, like swallowing acid. Tears leak from the corners of John's eyes.

Above him, Chas can hear Anne-Marie finally continue the exorcism, renewed conviction in her voice, and Pazuzu bellows a deafening, animalistic roar in John’s distorted voice, only inches from Chas's face.

“Forgive him his trespasses, Lord, and protect your servant from this abomination. Return to Hell, and the fiery pit where you belong!” Anne-Marie screams.

At the center of the maelstrom, Chas still holds John’s head in his hands.

A wisp of black smoke escapes from John's open mouth as his body abruptly goes slack, motionless. John's eyes look vacant, glassy. The winds blowing around the mill house disappear. The silence it leaves behind is deafening.

And John still isn't moving.

“John?” Anne-Marie chokes behind Chas.

Were they too late to save him?

The mark on John's forearm disappears, leaving smooth skin behind. With a quick intake of breath, John blinks, his eyes fading from demonic red back to their typical brown.

“Get off, get off!” John rasps, tugging at Chas's shirt as best he can with his hands restrained. "Can't breathe!"

Chas rolls his eyes. “Well, fuck you too,” he says, moving off John's chest.

John gives him an exhausted smile that is purely John Constantine. “Mate, most times I'd have no issue with you on top of me,” he says, panting. “I've had some very pleasant dreams about it, in fact. Just - not right after a demonic possession, yeah?”


End file.
